All his searching. All his caution.
He wanted the boy back!
The un-boy marched forward, moaning. A sad sound. But as with the other creatures, hunger ruled all. The un-boy bared his teeth through a ragged, receding mouth.
Reaching.
The dog growled and backed away. He’d never growled at the boy in anger. Only in play. But as the two of them stalked one another along the same shore where they’d shared so many afternoons dozing in the sun, he knew this creature was no longer his twin.
One moved forward, hungry; the other back, frightened.
Other sounds. Other creatures. From the other side of the shore.
He glanced to his right. There were several.
Then more.
Then many.
Too many.
He turned back to the creature that had been the boy. His whine erupted into a ragged, desperate stream of barking. The un-boy’s fingers worked the air, clutching for him. He remembered the boy’s scent, his real scent, and how much it smelled like love. How much it filled him up to share everything with the boy—to share a reason for living as a friend, each a champion for the other.
Then, he decided. Despite every instinct that begged him to run, as he’d run at the house, he stayed and stood his ground.
He knew his second self would never want to be this un-boy, hurting others. And he didn’t want it either—for either of them. But the boy couldn’t protect himself now. It was up to him to stand between the boy and the stray again. To free the boy who was his best friend from the un-life that should never have been.
A final moment to share together.
He leapt into the un-boy’s outstretched arms and ripped out his throat.
A Word from Chris Pourteau
I’ve loved dogs for a long time. In fact, except for a handful of years in high school and college, I’ve never lived without one.
Dogs are slobbery. Some of them bark a lot, even when there’s nothing to bark at. Most unashamedly beg for food.
But they’re also incredibly loyal. They’ll fight for you before they fight for themselves. They can sense your moods, giving you space when you need it or resting their heads on your lap to let you know you’ve got a friend. At night, they’ll lay by your side and watch over you, just in case the zombies come knocking.
So when I sat down to write “Unconditional,” I wanted to capture that. All of it. All of what it means to be a dog: the second-class citizenry they sometimes endure; the soul-mate love they sometimes find with a special human; the undying loyalty and self-sacrifice they give instinctively.
One day in the fall of 2014, my friend, Stefan Bolz—who contributed “Protector” to this anthology—posted a photo of his dog, Ember, on Facebook. She stood in the middle of an empty country road in the fall, leaves covering everything, stock still and staring down the road’s lonely length. The perspective of the shot reminded me of similar images I’d seen on The Walking Dead a hundred times over. Ember held a determined stance, but there was also something sad in the way she stared at that empty road. Like she’d lost something—or someone—and was on a quest to find them. Her boy, perhaps. And that was the genesis for “Unconditional.” Thank you, Stefan, for posting that image.
When I first published the story, I worried about how it’d be received. It’s no Disney tale of two dogs kissing over a plate of spaghetti. I even considered giving “Unconditional” a happy ending. But no, that’s not what the story demanded. And so I published it on Amazon in January 2015 and bit my lower lip.
By and large, the response has been tremendously positive. Readers—especially dog lovers—found something in the story that spoke to them, and its reviews reflect that. And then I thought: why not an entire anthology? And with other animals too, not just dogs.
So I reached out to the most talented authors I knew, and that’s how this anthology came to be. Although I originally published “Unconditional” as a solo short story, I felt it had a place as the final tale in this collection. The story—and reader response to it—started the process that created this anthology, so there was a certain serendipitous synergy to including it. If it’s your first time reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it. And if you’d read it before, I hope you found something new to like.
If you’d like to know more about me and my writing, please visit chrispourteau.thirdscribe.com and sign up for my newsletter. Or you can email me at c.pourteau.author@gmail.com or find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/arkewall. I’d love to hear from you.
Acknowledgments
It took a huge team of dedicated individuals to put together this anthology. And though I’m sure I’ll forget someone, I want to take a moment and acknowledge as many people as I can.
First and foremost, I want to thank all the writers for their excellent contributions. I especially appreciate David Adams, Michael Bunker, Nick Cole, Hank Garner, E.E. Giorgi, Deirdre Gould, and Edward W. Robertson opening up their respective worlds in which to set their Tails stories.
My principal partners in crime for producing this collection were contributors Todd Barselow and David Bruns. Todd took point on publishing the paperback through Auspicious Apparatus Press (http://www.apparatuspress.com/), helming coordination of the audiobook and working his connections to help us garner as much support for launch day as possible. David stepped up and took the lead on marketing. The collection wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without them since I was head-down for most of the time editing the stories. And David was the one that came up with the inspired idea of teaming with Pets for Vets, Inc., and he couldn’t have found a better cause for Tails to support.
And speaking of Pets for Vets, Founder Clarissa Black, President of the Board of Directors Ann Black, and Houston Chapter Director Jessica Devitt, have all been amazing to work with. They not only helped us promote the anthology on their Facebook page, but Clarissa went on podcasts with us and, I hope, won over new supporters for Pets for Vets. The stories presented in Tails emphasize the inherent nobility, self-sacrifice, and unconditional love that animals so often show their human companions, so Pets for Vets’ mission of training and matching shelter dogs with military veterans suffering from emotional trauma (like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) was a perfect fit. If you haven’t already, please visit http://www.petsforvets.com and ask them how you can help this noble mission of mercy that finds a loving home for dogs who would otherwise be euthanized and a loving companion for those who need one most. And please “like” their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PetsforVetsInc?fref=ts.
E.J. Smith, a good friend and advisor for the Military Family Advisory Network (http://www.militaryfamilyadvisorynetwork.org/), helped us get the word out nationwide to a number of organizations dedicated to supporting military families. This helped raise Pets for Vets’ profile across that network and helped our authors find readers they might never have otherwise reached.
Contributor Hank Garner opened up his Author Stories Podcast—which is carving out an ever-increasing niche for itself as the go-to place for authors to discuss how they do what they do—to help us promote Pets for Vets’ cause and Tails. Contributor Jennifer Ellis organized a rockin’ Facebook launch party, which (as usual) was a blast and a great way for readers and authors to come together and talk books, movies, and anything else they could think of. She also championed our cause on Goodreads and helmed the giveaway event we held there.